John Burns backs Eddie McGuire in war of words with Neil Mitchell

John Burns has revealed he didn’t speak to colleague Neil Mitchell for well over a year as he weighed in on the 3AW radio war.

The raging 3AW radio flare-up between Neil Mitchell and Eddie McGuire shows no signs of dying down.

Or is it all a con job as they take a swing at each other to promote a fortnightly talk fest between the two veterans on Mitchell’s top rating show.

Mitchell and McGuire deny it’s all confected to pull in listeners.

But radio rage does pump up the volume and the more barbs the better.

Mitchell’s former stablemate John Burns has now doubled down on Eddie McGuire’s allegation that Mitchell has driven people to “very dark places.”

The radio veteran of the top rating Ross and John show said he became so angry with Mitchell and his “incredible ego” that he didn’t speak to the Mornings host for well over a year.

“I’ve never really spoken to him again,” Burns said of the fracas “and, yes, I think he has put a lot of people in a dark place.”

Former 3AW breakfast host John Burns said he’s barely spoken to Neil Mitchell since their run-in. Picture: The Australian

McGuire and Mitchell were embroiled in a tense war of words this week when McGuire slammed Mitchell’s take on Jordan De Goey after the 3AW star labelled him a “Bali boofhead.”

McGuire labelled Mitchell a “liar” by omission and said the long running radio announcer had “driven people to dark places”.

Big egos have long memories and while Mitchell and McGuire have sniped at each other for years, the latest flare-up can be seen as throwing some well directed fuel on the fire.

Sometimes a fight between warring alpha males has gone on so long the protagonists can’t remember how it started.

Especially when they have been around for as long as Mitchell and McGuire.

Eddie McGuire accused Mitchell of sending people to “dark places”.

Mitchell and McGuire exchanged in a heated war of words.

Then there are old radio stars who remember every word, like, Burns.

The radio stalwart said Mitchell crossed the line when he turned moral crusader after Burns was caught drink driving.

Mitchell took to the airwaves to accuse Burns of lying to him over his “totally unacceptable behaviour” after Burns was found driving over the limit with a blood alcohol reading of 0.061.

“What I felt at the time was that his comments were grossly unfair,” Burns old Page 13 this week.

“His criticism was totally irrelevant in the sense that he criticised me because I didn’t come to him and confess what had happened.

“He asked me, why isn’t your car in the car park? And I said, because I came to work on an Uber.

“He took offence at that and said that I should have confessed to him, which is just his incredible ego.

“I think he has put a lot of people in a dark place,” he said.

“I mean, I wasn’t one of them. I was just very annoyed. I didn’t get depressed. But I got very annoyed and very angry about it because I didn’t think it was any of his business that I’d got myself into a little bit of trouble.

“He considers himself to be some sort of social conscience when he’s not, he’s just a radio commentator.”